1. Unlocking Human Resource Management Chapter 3 Learning and development: key points The competitiveness of a country largely depends on the skills and capabilities of its people Growth of the ‘knowledge economy’ requires a skilled workforce The number of low-skilled jobs will decrease in UK while need for degree level qualifications set to increase

2. Unlocking Human Resource Management Chapter 3 Learning and development: government initiatives National vocational qualifications (NVQs) were introduced in the 1980s to address the UK shortfall in skills in the workforce Investors in People (IiP) encouraged employers to invest in training and development Modern Apprenticeships introduced to try and plug the growing skills gap and provide an alternative to the academic route for young people

3. Learning and development: how people learn It is important to consider how people learn for training and development to be effective For effective learning to take place it is generally accepted that individuals need to go through Kolb’s (1974) learning cycle Honey and Mumford (1982) suggested people learn in different ways. This is an important consideration when designing training and development Unlocking Human Resource Management Chapter 3

4. Learning and development: the training process Training needs must be identified for the training to be appropriate. This can be done at organisational, job or individual level A learning plan needs to be devised to meet the training needs identified Methods can be through learning on the job or by taking people away from work Finally the learning should be evaluated to be sure the training or development was worthwhile Unlocking Human Resource Management Chapter 3

5. Learning summary By the end of this chapter you should: Know the importance of investment in learning and development Have knowledge of the various government initiatives introduced to encourage learning and development Understand how people learn and the importance of this for training and development to be effective Appreciate the stages involved in the training process